Holi 2023

Holi celebrations occur across most of India for 2 days but being the hometown of Lord Krishna and his love Radha, the Braj area (Vrindavan, Mathura, Barsana, Nandgaon, Govardhan, and Gokul) in Uttar Pradesh celebrates Holi for an additional week in advance.

The color fights in Holi come from the legendary love story of Lord Krishna (the eighth avatar of Vishnu) and his love Radha. Braj in Uttar Pradesh was their hometown. People in this area celebrate Holi with much more ardour and exclusive festivities.

What follows is my experience over the 10 amazing days spent photographing this centuries old festival.

Lathmar Holi

Shri Nand Baba Temple, Nandgaon

Lathmar Holi occurs in the ancient villages of Barsana and Nandgaon. The traditional festivities involve women dressing up as Gopis (consorts of Lord Krishna) and beat men who come dressed as Gops (friends of Lord Krishna) with sticks.

Crowds celebrate Holi at a Hindu temple courtyard as people on balconies throw bright red and pink gulal powder over festival participants below.

On the day of Lathmar Holi the men get battle prepared with headgear and protective clothing, sing ballads and slowly proceed towards the Shri Nand Baba Temple in Nandgaon. They represent Krishna’s army. The women of the villages prepare for Lathmar Holi for months ahead by oiling thick wooden staffs kept specially for this occasion.

Close-up of a raised hand coated in red Holi powder reaching through a smoky cloud of pink gulal during a crowded Indian festival.

We arrived to this incredible scene, the upper levels of the temple were already packed with visitors and photographers, now impossible to access, so we just decided to join in the fun with the village men and go with the flow.

Man in an orange headscarf with blue and red Holi powder on his face watches the colorful festival crowd in warm sunlight.

Close portrait of a man covered in vivid purple and red Holi powder, wearing a headscarf during a lively Indian color festival.

Just witnessing and being part in this ancient event, was plenty for me - it was CRAZY down there. I had trouble with the physical and mental ability to take any photo’s for some time, coloured powder and water was being thrown on us from above, not from little cups but from huge drums.

I pushed my way forward next to the village men, and welcomed to sit down with them to pray and sing. Most of these images were from that time, being hammered from above with powder, flowers and water.

Joyful man with a colorful turban and face covered in pink, yellow, and red gulal celebrates Holi in a crowded festival scene.

Men wearing traditional turbans celebrate Holi in a haze of red and pink powder, surrounded by vivid gulal and festive energy.

Widows Holi

Goptinath Temple, Vrindavan

For centuries, many Hindu widows have sought refuge in the holy city of Vrindavan. They are shackled by custom and material circumstances to live a life of austerity. But Holi brings welcome, if only temporary, colour to their lives.

Women in white and yellow sarees sit beneath an arched temple balcony during a Holi flower festival, covered in yellow marigold and rose petals during a devotional Hindu celebration.

Large crowd celebrates Holi Mahotsav in an Indian temple courtyard as colorful flower petals rain from balconies, with visible signs reading “Sulabh International Social Service Organisation” and “होली महोत्सव.”

Widowhood, especially among caste Hindus, has always carried deep social stigma. From the practice of sati to taboos regarding widows’ presence on auspicious occasions, losing one’s husband comes with a loss of social standing for many women.

Elderly woman in a white shawl folds her hands in prayer during a Hindu Holi flower celebration, surrounded by women in white clothing and scattered yellow marigold petals.

They are expected to dress in white and lead lives of extreme austerity, making ‘devotion to God’ the central aim of their lives. Often considered a drain on family finances, many widows find themselves in holy places such as Varanasi and Vrindavan.

To be honest I found the experience of visiting these widows in Goptinath Temple quite sad, the day seems to have become politicised even televised live across India.

Politicians and religious leaders being centre of attention and after a while I realised the widows remained seated in this area the entire time, not expected to stand and participate with the tourisits and tour group photographers in the temple square. It did seem that the widows were enjoying themselves but I was left with an empty feeling, content to remain in a perch above the action.

Overhead view of devotees covered in yellow marigold and pink rose petals during a traditional Holi flower festival, creating a vibrant carpet of blossoms in a temple gathering.

Women and a child sit closely together during a Holi flower festival, their white and yellow clothing sprinkled with marigold and rose petals in a crowded devotional celebration.

Chhadi Mar Holi

Gokul

According to legend, Krishna spent his early years at Gokul, where he is regarded as a child during the festivals. Local women use chadi (‘little sticks’ or ‘wands’) to chase men.

Women in red bridal-style veils play Lathmar Holi with sticks in a crowded Indian temple courtyard, surrounded by festivalgoers covered in pink gulal powder.

From direct experience the women hit hard!

Two women in traditional red and yellow sarees raise wooden sticks during Lathmar Holi celebrations as a joyful crowd dances through clouds of colored powder.

Phoolwali Holi

Phoolwali Holi in Vrindavan is mainly about flowers. We visited celebrations at Banke Bihari Temple, which is considered the holiest and most famous temple devoted to Lord Krishna in the world and also Shri Radhavallabh Temple.

Banke Bihari Temple, Vrindavan

Smiling police officer stands beside a flower garland vendor during a Holi festival near a temple entrance, with elderly women seated in the foreground.

We entered both temples with trepidation, not quite believing what we were seeing - the massive crowd at the entrance all forcing themselves in (and out) - a human tidal wave. Indian people don’t form neat polite queues….

Dense Holi crowd celebrates outside a temple with raised hands, smartphones, Hindi signage, and pink gulal powder filling the air.

For a westerner it feels like uncontolled chaos, literally packed in like sardines pushing against others in the direction the crowd demands, humid and hot with no fresh air, claustrophic. Taking photo’s took a lot of energy.

Incense smoke rises from a colorful mound of Holi gulal powder and flower petals on a temple offering table, with festival crowds blurred in the background.

Smiling woman with green Holi powder on her face poses in a patterned headscarf against a wall splashed with yellow, pink, and purple festival colors.

Large crowd celebrates Holi beneath a decorated temple arch as bright yellow powder bursts into the air, with people raising hands and recording the festival.

Despite being on my edge of uncomfortable, every single person was smiling, so happy to all be together. Not one moment of agro or disrespect.

I left realising these people are so devoted to Krishna and the blessings the temple priests threw at them.

Mathura

Shree Dwarikadhish Temple

We arrived early to Mathura hearing the main Holi event in Shree Dwarikadhish Temple started at 10am, as most plans in India we discovered a 1pm start. So we explored the side streets, meeting people, photographing colourful doors and being chased by dogs.

Black calf tied with a rope stands before an ornate green wooden door and carved stone archway on an old Indian street.

Crowded temple interior during Holi celebrations, with families and children gathered in dim light among colorful clothing and pink festival powder.

In the distance we heard drums banging and people singing, turning a corner I was ushered into a small temple, and this is what I experienced.

Young man throws orange Holi powder over a crowd of women and children inside a temple, creating a glowing cloud of gulal.

Looking back, this brief, unplanned moment just me with the local villagers in a discrete hindu temple was the highlight of my trip, I’ll never forget it.

Devotees covered in yellow Holi powder pray inside a temple, with smiling worshippers surrounded by bright gulal and festive color.

Smiling child covered in yellow Holi powder poses during a vibrant Indian festival celebration inside a temple courtyard.

We then joined the main celebrations at Shree Dwarikadhish Temple

Holi festival crowd fills a colorful Hindu temple interior, with people covered in pink gulal and a man holding a child near painted pillars.

Woman in a pink saree holds a basket of rose petals during Holi celebrations inside a temple, surrounded by families and flower offerings.

Smiling woman in a white dress and red dupatta poses in a crowded temple during Holi, with festivalgoers covered in colored powder behind her.

Holi (Main Day)

Vrindavan

The main day of Holi is celebrated India-wide and occurs on the last full moon day of the lunar month of (Phalguna), the exact date varies from year to year.

Young man pours a sweeping arc of bright pink Holi colored water from a rooftop over a narrow Indian street during a vibrant festival celebration.

Overhead view of Holi revelers walking through a pink-stained street as red gulal powder falls near a temple-side shop and crowded alley.

I walked from Keshi Ghat in the morning to our hotel, about 8km through narrow cobbled streets, past temples. Pausing regularly along the way to take part and photograph the riot. It was pointless trying to avoid being “blessed” with colour.

Men on a rooftop throw yellow Holi powder toward the street below beside an ornate temple arch and historic Indian buildings.

Buckets upon buckets of coloured water were thrown from the rooftops on villagers below, everyone dancing, laughing their heads off and taunting one another. I asked if we could join the fun on one roof and was welcomed with joy and hugs.

Boy pours purple Holi water from a metal bucket off a rooftop while friends covered in festival colors stand near a temple entrance.

Three boys covered in pink and purple Holi powder stand in a blue doorway holding small buckets during a neighborhood color festival.

Family and friends pose after Holi celebrations, covered in pink, green, and purple gulal powder, with a smiling child wearing flower garlands.

Huranga Holi

Shri Dauji Maharaj Temple, Baldeo

On the final day of Holi celebrations in the Braj villages Huranga Holi is celebrated at Dauji temple. The tradition dates back more than 500 years, when the Krishna temple was established.

Large Holi crowd in bright yellow, orange, red, and green traditional clothing gathers in a temple courtyard filled with pink powder stains.

Celebrated a day after Holi, the Huranga festival witnesses a uniqe ritual. Soon after the morning darshan, around 10,000 devotees from Baldev and neighbouring villages gather in the temple courtyard. The two hours that follow see the temple compound into a battleground.

Men pour buckets of saffron-tinged water on women, who retaliate by tearing their shirts off and thrashing them with it. Essentially a game between devar and bhabhi, the idea is to give the women a chance to get back at men for all the pranks they have played during the year.

Being covered in colour brings relative anonymity, and in largely conservative India, this means Holi is a time when men, women and boys join together to celebrate.

Massive Holi celebration in a temple courtyard, with dense crowds in orange clothing, flying water spray, pink powder haze, and raised buckets.

Wide view of a packed Indian Holi festival courtyard, where devotees throw water and colored powder beneath balconies, banners, and misty pink gulal.